Better Cotton announces new impact targets for 2030

As part of its 2030 plan, Better Cotton, the top cotton sustainability project in the world, has verified four new Impact Targets that address soil health, women’s empowerment, pesticide use, and sustainable livelihoods.

Better Cotton’s goal is to support cotton communities in their efforts to flourish while simultaneously preserving and regenerating the environment. For millions of farm employees, the Impact Targets, a component of Better Cotton’s 2030 Strategy, will “help drive environmental and social improvements.”

In its most recent Synthesis Report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a warning that every degree of global warming causes climate threats to rapidly increase.

IPCC Chair, Hoesung Lee, said that mainstreaming effective and equitable climate action will not only reduce losses and damages for nature and people, it will also provide wider benefits.

Cotton production annually exceeds 22 million tonnes, making it one of the most significant renewable resources in the world. The growth of the industry has the potential to increase equality and sustainability while lowering poverty.

The following are the four impact targets: Increasing the income of the two million cotton workers in a sustainable way;  Ensuring that all Better Cotton farmers have enhanced the condition of their soil; Reaching one million women in the cotton industry with programs and services that advance equality; and reducing the use and risk of synthetic pesticides applied by Better Cotton farmers by at least 50%.

Alan McClay, CEO of Better Cotton, added that their new Impact Targets would allow them to continue taking measurable actions to support more sustainably produced cotton. They can ensure that cotton farmers and farm workers are prepared to address their environmental impact, future-proof their businesses, and adjust to the often unanticipated effects of global warming by moving further toward regenerative and climate-smart agriculture.Better Cotton is still educating an expanding global population about more environmentally friendly farming methods. Beyond merely cotton output, the Impact Targets will benefit local farming communities’ landscapes, supply systems, and ultimately consumers.